Term explanation.docx

1、Term explanationExplain the following terms 1. antithesis: the balancing of two contrasting ideas, words, phrases, or sentences. An antithesis is often expressed in a balanced sentences, tat is, a sentences in which identical or similar grammatical structure is used to express contrasting ideas. A f

2、amous example of antithesis is this line from Alexander Peoples Essay on Criticism: “To err is human, to forgive is divine”2. apostrophe: (Rhetoric) an exclamatory passage in a speech or poem addressed to an absentee or an inanimate object as if they were listening to the speaker.3. characterization

3、:The personality a character displays; also, the means by which a writer reveals that personality. Generally, a writer develops a character in one or more of the following ways: 1). through the characters actions; 2). through the characters thoughts and speeches; 3). through a physical description o

4、f the character; 4). through the opinions others have about the character; 5). Through a direct statement about the character telling what the writer thinks of him or her.4. conceit: Inliterature, aconceitis anextended metaphorwith a complexlogicthat governs a poetic passage or entire poem. By juxta

5、posing,usurpingandmanipulatingimages and ideas in surprising ways, a conceit invites the reader into a more sophisticated understanding of an object of comparison. Extended conceits in English are part of the poetic idiom of Mannerism, during the later sixteenth and early seventeenth century.5. conf

6、lict:A struggle between tow opposing forces or characters in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem. Conflict can be external or internal and it can take one of these forms: 1). a person against another person; 2). a person against society; 3). a person against nature; 4). two elements within

7、 a person struggling for mastery. Many works contain more than one form of conflict. In William Shakespeares Macbeth, for example, there is a conflict within Macbeth (his wish to murder Duncan and become king versus his loyalty to Duncan), and conflict between Macbeth and other individuals in the pl

8、ay (Lady Macbeth, Banquo, Macduff). Conflict is often an important element in plot development and provides, among other things, the basis for suspense.6. parody: The humorous imitation of a work of literature, art, or music. A parody often achieves its humorous effect through the use of exaggeratio

9、n or mockery. In literature, parody can be made of a plot, a character, a writing style, or a sentiment or theme. The poet Algernon Charles Swinburne parodies his own verse in a humorous poem called Nephelidia. In these lines, Swinburne is mocking a kind of lush verse that makes excessive use of all

10、iteration:Pallid and pink as the palm of the flag flower thatFlickers with fear of the flies as they float,Are the looks of our lovers that lustrously lean from a marvel of mystic, miraculous moonshine.7. romance:Any imaginative literature that is set in an idealized world and that deals with heroic

11、 adventures and battles between good characters and villains or monsters. Originally, the term referred to a medieval tale dealing with loves and adventures of kings, queens, knights, and ladies, and including unlikely or supernatural happenings. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the best of the me

12、dieval romances. John Keatss The Eve of St. Agnes is one of the greatest metrical romances ever written.8. soliloquyIn Drama, as extended speech delivered by a character alone onstage. The character reveals his or her innermost thoughts and feelings directly to the audience, as if thinking aloud. On

13、e of the most famous soliloquies in literature occurs in Shakespeares Hamlet, when Hamlet expresses his idea of suicide: To be or not to be: that is the question: Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,Or to take up arms against a sea of troubles,And by

14、opposing them. To die, to sleep No more; and by a sleep to say we endThe heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to.9. satireA kind of writing that holds up to ridicule or contempt the weaknesses and wrongdoings of individuals, groups, institutions, or humanity in general. The

15、aim of satirists is to set a moral standard for society, and they attempt to persuade the reader to see their point of view through the force of laughter. The most famous satirical work in English literature is Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels. In the distant land of Brobdingnag, where the people a

16、re twelve times as tall as a normal human being, Gulliver is brought before the King to describe the English people. Swift satirizes the English people through the Kings response: He was perfectly astonished with the historical account I gave him of our affairs during the last century, protesting it

17、 was only an heap of conspiracies, rebellions, murders, massacres, revolutions, banishments; the very worst effects that avarice, faction, hypocrisy, perfidiousness, cruelty, rage, madness, hatred, envy, lust, malice, and ambition could produce.10. symbola symbol is an index that points to or repres

18、ents something else. A symbol is usually a material object used to represent something abstract. The relationship between the symbol and the symbolized is often established through convention, resemblance, or association. The red cross is not only a geometrical figure, but also a symbol of love of m

19、ankind and social care. The sunrise not only constitutes an astronomical phenomenon, but also suggests a new beginning. The roads in Frosts poem stand for the life-choices. Actions and gestures can be symbols, too. Nodding means consent, shaking hand means welcome or reconciliation.11. the frame tal

20、eA frame story (also frame tale, frame narrative, etc.) is a literary technique that sometimes serves as a companion piece to a story within a story, whereby an introductory or main narrative is presented, at least in part, for the purpose of setting the stage either for a more emphasized second nar

21、rative or for a set of shorter stories. The frame story leads readers from a first story into another, smaller one (or several ones) within it. There are many famous literary with this format. For example, Chaucers The Canterbury Tales, The Seven Sages from India, The Thousand and One Nights, Samuel

22、 Taylor Coleridges The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness and so on. 12. themethe general idea or insight about life that a writer wishes to express in a literary work. All the elements of a literary work plot, setting, characterization, and figurative language combine to

23、the development of this theme. A simple theme can often be stated in a single sentence. But sometimes a literary work is rich and complex, and a paragraph or even an essay is needed to state the theme. Not all literary works have a controlling theme. For example, the purpose of some simple ghost sto

24、ries is to frighten the reader, and some detective stories seek only to thrill. 13. charactera term used to refer to imaginary people that novelists or short story writers create in their narratives. According to E. M. Forster, characters can be classified into flat characters and round characters.1

25、4. settingthe time and place in which the events in a short story, novel, play or narrative poem occur. A setting may serve simply as the physical background of a story, or a skillful writer may use setting to establish a particular atmosphere, which in turn contributes to the plot and theme of the

26、story.15. gothic novelGothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. It originated in England in the second half of the 18th century and had much success during the English romantic period with Mary Shelleys

27、 Frankenstein and the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Gothicisms origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled A Gothic Story. The effect of Gothic fiction feeds on a pleasing sort of terror, an extension of Romantic literary pleasures that wer

28、e relatively new at the time of Walpoles novel. The name Gothic refers to the (pseudo)-medieval buildings in which many of these stories take place. This extreme form of romanticism was very popular in England and Germany. The English gothic novel also led to new novel types such as the German Schau

29、erroman and the French roman noir.16. sonnetA fourteen-line lyric poem, usually written in rhymed iambic pentameter. A sonnet generally expresses a single theme or idea. Sonnets vary in structure and rhyme scheme, but are generally of three types: the Italian or Petrachan sonnet, Spenserian sonnet a

30、nd the English or Shakespearian sonnet. 17. protagonistthe central character of a drama, novel, short story, or narrative poem. The protagonist is the character on whom the action centers and with whom the reader sympathizes most. Usually the protagonist strives against an opposing force, or antagon

31、ist, to accomplish something. The protagonist can be either heroic or ordinary, good or bad. For example, Beowulf is brave and good. Macbeth is noble and honorable at first, but becomes increasingly hateful.18. antagonista character, group of characters, orinstitutionthat represents the opposition a

32、gainst which theprotagonistor protagonists must contend. In other words, an antagonist is a person or a group of people who oppose the main character(s)19. mytha story, often about immortals and sometimes connected with religious rituals, that is intended to give meaning to the mysteries of the world. In mythos, gods and goddesses are usually identified with the immense powers of the universe: in the Greek myths, Zeus is associated with the sky, Hades with the underworld, Poseidon with the sea, Apollo with the sun Athena with wisdom, Ares with war. B